Object information retrieval system

• US 7,227,468 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Erik David Florio
• Original Assignee: Erik David Florio
• Inventors: Florio, Erik David
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUGG, GEORGE A
• Application Number:
  US10/956,821
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.11
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

The invention is in the field of RFID tags and its use in activating a program related to an object. The invention uses the RFID tags and electronic readers to obtain the identification information about the object and use this information to trigger a program on a data processing device that is operatively connected to the electronic reader. The object is equipped with RFID tags that are encoded with the identification information of the object. The tags are read by an electronic reader, which in turn, decodes, verifies, validates and transmits decoded information about the object to the data processing device. The data processing device uses this information to search a database and activates the appropriate program about the object that includes audio and video portions.

Claims

1. A system to retrieve information related to an object comprising:

a RFID tag proximate to said object, said RFID tag storing data related to said object;

an electronic reader, said electronic reader configured to receive electronic signals from said RFID tag; and

a data processing device operatively linked to said electronic reader, said electronic reader configured to send electronic signals to said data processing device, said data processing device configured to launch a program associated with operational information of said object on said data processing device upon receipt of electronic signals from said electronic reader;

wherein the operational information of the object includes information related to a plurality of parts of the object, wherein the operational information related to the plurality of parts include maintenance information on each of the plurality of parts of the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said data processing device further comprising a database, said database storing said program of said object, said data processing device launching said program associated with operational information of said object from said database upon receipt of said electronic signals from said electronic reader.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic signal radiating from said RFID tag over a given area having a predetermined frequency, wherein said electronic reader is tuned to said predetermined frequency to receive said electronic signal from said RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said RFID tag is one of a passive tag or an active tag.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said RFID tag is a read-only tag.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said RFID tag further comprising:

a) an integrated circuit, said integrated circuit communicating with said reader;

b) a memory bank to store an identification information on said RFID tag;

c) an antenna attached to said integrated circuit to transmit and receive electronic signals to and from said electronic reader; and

d) a tuning capacitor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said electronic reader further comprising:

a) an electronic circuit to send and receive data to and from said RFID tag;

b) a microprocessor to verify validity of said data, said microprocessor capable of checking and decoding data received from said RFID tag;

c) a memory module, said memory module capable of receiving and storing said data from said RFID tag; and

d) an antenna for transmitting and receiving electronic signals from said RFID tag.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said data processing device is linked to said object by use of wireless data transmission technology.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein said operational information of said object includes one of an audio component, a video component or an audio and video component.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said launching of program associated with said object displayed on an output device, said output device connected to any one of said electronic reader or the data processing device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said object is an exercise machine.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing device is a computing system external to the electronic reader.

17. The system of claim 1, further includes one or more additional RFID tags, the one or more additional RFID tags associated with one or more parts of the object, the additional RFID tags storing data corresponding to the one or more parts of the object and placed proximate to the corresponding parts so as to transmit stored data related to the parts of the object, the electronic reader configured to receive electronic signals from the additional RFID tags, the data processing device configured to launch a program associated with operational information of corresponding one or more parts of the object on said data processing device upon receipt of electronic signals from the electronic reader.

12. A method to retrieve information related to an object comprising the steps of:

a) providing a RFID tag for an object, said RFID tag encoded with data related to said object, said RFID tag configured to transmit electronic signals at specific frequency;

b) receiving information from said RFID tag for said object on an electronic reader, said electronic reader configured to validate said information received from said RFID tag and transmit object related information using electronic signals; and

c) providing a data processing device, said data processing device communicatively connected to said electronic reader, said data processing device configured to identify said object and launch a program associated with operational information of said object upon receipt of electronic signals from said electronic reader;

wherein the operational information of the object includes information related to a plurality of parts of the object, wherein the operational information related to the plurality of parts include maintenance information on each of the plurality of parts of the object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said operational information includes one of an audio component, a video component or an audio and video component.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein launching the program further comprising:

accessing the appropriate program for the object based on the information received from the reader, the program related to the object housed within the data processing device or on an external system accessible by the data processing device; and

executing the accessed program for the object on the data processing device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the execution of the program is on an output device attached to one of the data processing device or the reader.